Massive US pastor delegation arrives in Israel for solidarity mission

A delegation of 1,000 U.S. Christian pastors and influencers — the largest group of American Christian leaders to visit Israel since its founding — arrived last Tuesday as part of the Friends of Zion initiative.

The trip, organized in partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is designed to provide education and prepare participants to serve as unofficial ambassadors of Israel in their communities.

Founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem and confidant of President Donald Trump, Dr. Most Bible-believing Evangelicals are Zionists, making them important allies in efforts to combat anti-Semitism, Mike Evans said.

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Speaking to Fox News Digital, Evans said, “These devils who hate Jews hate Christians equally. What is being said against the State of Israel is a hundred times worse than what the Nazis said in the party platform in 1920, and everyone is ignoring it. They don’t realize how dangerous it is.”

“The new wars of the 21st century are media wars, ideological wars, economic wars and proxy wars. Although Israel has never fought an ideological war, its enemies have,” he added.

Evans said that members of the visiting delegation were vetted to ensure that no hidden agendas were included and that they signed a pledge pledging to stand in solidarity with the Jewish people. “We received more than 2,000 applications; we selected the best candidates for this first trip. These 1,000 pastors represent tens of millions of Americans and have great influence on media and social media,” he said.

The initiative was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Evans has known for 45 years.

Founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem, Dr. Mike Evans met with former Hamas hostage Edan Alexander. (Slomi Amsalem)

“When I was at Mount Herzl, a widow was there sharing her story. Her daughter no longer had a father. It broke my heart to think that my little girl wouldn’t be able to have her father. I connected on a deep personal level,” Tamryn Foley, a member of the National Faith Advisory Board’s executive team, told Fox News Digital.

The Board is the largest coalition supporting and advocating for people of faith, led by Pastor Paula White-Cain. It builds its mission on four pillars: protecting religious freedom, promoting a strong America, defending life at every stage, and honoring family values—and identifies the U.S.-Israel alliance as central to that agenda.

“I’m very strongly pro-Israel, and so is the group of pastors I work with. I don’t think we realized how big this event was going to be. We wanted to show support, and since we’ve been here it’s become so much more than we thought it would be,” said Foley, who lives in Florida.

“I’m coming home with a fire to make sure the youth of my country know the truth. It’s one thing to understand something intellectually, it’s another thing to come here and meet the people who are affected and connect with them on a heart level.” he continued.

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“There is so much negative propaganda in our country. It’s loud and we need to do a better job of educating young people. They can see through the bullshit and the lies; I don’t think we’re giving them enough credit. We need to give them the truth and plant the seeds for lifelong support for Israel,” Foley said.

He explained that one of the purposes of education is to reach young people; He claimed that countries such as Qatar were turning against Israel by investing millions of dollars to spread anti-Semitic content through universities and digital platforms.

Evans noted, for example, that the Muslim Brotherhood was waging ideological warfare, describing it as “a powerful demon because it can’t get through customs, and you can’t kill it with a bullet.”

“More than half of the Palestinian population embraces Hamas’ ideology of radical Islam,” he claimed, “which is based not on land for peace but on establishing an Islamic state and eliminating the Jewish state.”

Founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem, Dr. Mike Evans meets with former Hamas hostages Keith and Aviva Siegel. (Slomi Amsalem)

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Evans noted that the Evangelical movement, which represents 9.7 percent of the global population, significantly influences US foreign policy with the belief that the lands mentioned in the Bible belong to the Jewish people.

“The president loves us and knows how we feel about Israel,” he said. “We believe that the President respects us and that we have his trust and ear. Without him, we would not have been able to take back the hostages. He will stand with us and will not bow to the intentions of anti-Semites regarding Judea, Samaria or the state of Palestine. He will do whatever he can to help Israel,” Evans added.

The delegation met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday and visited the Hamas massacre at the Supernova music festival on October 7, along with former hostages Emily Damari, Tal Shoham, Moran Stella Yanai, and Aviva and Keith Siegel, who received the “Here I Am” Award for their advocacy work.

The largest evangelical Christian pastor and influential delegation ever brought to Israel tours the site of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre at the Supernova music festival on Wednesday. (Slomi Amsalem)

Pastor Mike Atkins, a member of the delegation, told Fox News Digital: “We’re trying to unite and demonstrate unity among evangelical Christian leaders between America, Israel and the Jewish people, and to counter any perception that this community is divided on this issue, because it’s not.”

“Erupting anti-Semitism has long been simmering beneath the surface on university campuses and in major European cities. This is a clear stance against lies and a declaration of our commitment to the truth,” he said.

Atkins explained that the delegation was exposed to first-hand insights “at the highest level” by visiting the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, listening to victims and seeing the realities on the ground in Israel. He said delegates also received comprehensive information about how to combat anti-Semitic hoax through symposium speakers and will continue to do so as they unite into a coalition.

“To young people, I say this: Join the movement. Resolve to never again allow the poisonous deception of anti-Semitism to permeate our culture. Stand up, speak out, do not remain silent,” he said.

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“I think the best cure for Jewish Disorder Syndrome, which is an acute form of bigotry and anti-Semitism, is for people to come to Israel and see and hear with their own eyes. These American spiritual leaders are determined to use their pulpits and their influence to present the truth,” Huckabee told Fox News Digital.

“The truth is the best antibiotic in combating conspiracy theories and lies about the United States, Israel and its partnership with the Jewish people,” he added.